Snow Globe Gum Ball Machine
Make a wonderful glittery candy scene built with terra cotta clay pots and small candy ornaments! This snow globe gum ball machine is fun to make with kids and decorate your home for the holidays.
Making fun and unique DIY snow globes during the winter is something we love to do here at Smart School House. Where we live, we don’t actually see any snow, so it’s fun to head to the craft store and create a new snowy scene inside of a globe. We used clay pots to create a homemade gum ball machine and added some holiday fabric to make it unique for Christmas. Instead of regular gum balls, we added colorful plastic candies that dance around in the glittery snow. Give it a shake and watch the gum ball machine put on a relaxing little candy show!
Check out our other DIY snow globe ideas!
- Fish Bowl Snowman
- Mason Jar Lid Snow Globe
- Paper Plate Snow Gobe
- Lantern Snow Globe
- Apple Juice Jar Snow Globe
Materials needed to make a Snow Globe Gum ball Machine
- Small terra cotta clay pot and coordinating saucer
- Acrylic paint (red)
- Chunky white glitter
- Plastic snow globe with a lid (we found this one at Hobby Lobby)
- Round wooden ball
- Paint brush
- Decorative ribbon and other accents (we used a star)
- Hot Glue
- Water
- Plastic candy ornaments made for a miniature Christmas tree
If you’re working with little kids, set up some paper plates or paper towels for their painting. What I love about painting clay pots is that they dry quickly which makes using little ones perfect for kiddos.
How to Make a Gum Ball Machine Out of Clay Pots
- Paint the terra cotta pot, the wooden ball, and the clay saucer red.
- Repeat with extra coats of red paint until the desired shade of red is achieved.
- Let dry.
- Fill the plastic snow globe with water.
- Add the glitter and the miniature candy ornaments
- Add extra water to the globe to make it full if necessary.
- Hot glue ribbon to the outer edge of the snow globe cap.
- Glue the wood ball to the saucer.
- Glue the sauce lid to the snow globe.
- Give the snow globe a shake and gently set it on the bottom of the clay pot as pictured.
I used hot glue because I was working with kids and we were moving quickly. But, feel free to use a stronger glue if you have the time and want the gum ball machine lid to be extra secure.
You might also enjoy making this Fish Bowl Snowman next! Directions here